Company cafeterias class up

Time was, the average company cafeteria was an unappealing miscellany of scuzzy linoleum, harsh lighting, mediocre sloppy Joes.

By Christina Rexrode, Times Staff Writer
Published December 23, 2007

Cafe assistant Patt Blackwell waits in the elevator while making lunch deliveries on her combination scooter-cooler at Raymond James in St. Petersburg.
	[Martha Rial | Times]

Time was, the average company cafeteria was an unappealing miscellany of scuzzy linoleum, harsh lighting, mediocre sloppy Joes. The food was a step above whatever you could get out of the vending machine, a step below whatever you could stick in the closest microwave.

But lately, it seems, big employers are taking more seriously the "an army fights on its stomach" tenet, as true for the highly competitive Fortune 500 as it was for Napoleon.

Across the bay area, big companies are making their chow lines less like, well, chow lines.

Tech Data revamped its two cafeterias in June, beefing up the salad and sandwich bars and asking for employee input on new dishes.

"I know when it's Thursday because people are running into my staff meeting with sushi," said Caryl Lucarelli, the vice president of human resources.

Eurest, which operates the cafeterias for Tech Data, Raytheon and the facility shared by Beall's and Tropicana Products, has eliminated oils with trans fats and is trumpeting its efforts to buy sustainably harvested seafood, local produce and organic ingredients.

JPMorgan Chase tentatively plans to start offering a monthly upscale lunch to its employees in Tampa, who would buy tickets ahead of time for the chance to eat steak and be served by waiters.

And Raytheon, the defense contractor in St. Petersburg, did a number on its formerly sterile dining area a year and a half ago, painting the walls in soothing colors and installing three flat-screen TVs always tuned to CNN. (Or, during hurricane season, the Weather Channel.)

When the company moves to North Pinellas in June, it will fashion a corner of the new cafeteria like a coffee shop.

Linda Peak, human resources manager and a 42-year veteran of the company, remembers when the dining standards weren't so high, when the food "was whatever they could put together the easiest and cheapest."

Raytheon's concern for its employees' health helped change that. So did a little competition from down the street.

"Until (Tyrone) mall was built," Peak said, "they kind of had a captive audience."

But let's not kid ourselves. Despite the giant leaps made for a hungry, cubicle-dwelling mankind, most workers don't get jazzed over their employer's dining options.

There's rarely a day when Andy Ford, who works in marketing for Raymond James, doesn't eat lunch in one of the company's two cafeterias. But he doesn't have much to say about it. "It's not five-star," said the 27-year-old Ford, shrugging, "but it's here."

Kenny Squires, a contractor who recently stopped in at TECO's cafeteria in downtown Tampa, was equally tepid.

"The prices are good," said Squires, 34, who was eating a $3 Cuban sandwich. "You don't expect too much."

Even at Publix's corporate headquarters in Lakeland, where the 1,000 employees eat lunch on the house, it's hard to prompt rave reviews.

"Obviously, we mention it (when recruiting)," said Maria Brous, a spokeswoman for the supermarket chain. "I don't know if that would make it or break it for somebody."

Christina Rexrode can be reached at crexrode@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8318.

Raymond James

St. Petersburg

Vendor: Lackmann Culinary Services

While the rest of the RJ headquarters are filled with Tom James' priceless art collection, the two cafeterias are decorated with priceless sports memorabilia. And we're not talking about stuff you'd find in the nearest Applebee's. We're talking a racquet signed by Monica Seles, a tennis dress signed by Serena Williams, a jersey autographed by Cadillac Williams.

And a new service at RJ: deskside delivery. Order your lunch by Internet, phone or fax and a cafeteria worker on a Razor scooter will bring it to your door and save you the bother of eating with co-workers or actually taking your lunch break.

"I think it's fabulous," said Dorothy Carter, 36, who works in the legal department. "(Otherwise,) I always miss lunch."

Nielsen

Oldsmar

Vendor: Sodexho

Nielsen's cafeteria gets five stars for its view. The dining area is almost all glass and backs upto the pastoral Brooker Creek Preserve.

Nielsen employee Amy Rettig remembers taking an out-of-state group to the cafeteria on a day when the resident alligator was in full view. "They were from Chicago," Rettig said, "so to them, a gator was the coolest thing."

Also, the cafeteria has family days every month, and on those days serves kid-friendly fare like pizza, macaroni and hot dogs for $2 to $3.

JPMorgan Chase

Tampa

Vendor: Aramark

Unlike Nielsen, JPMorgan Chase isn't next to a nature preserve, but it might as well be. On its closed campus, there are plenty of places where you can take your lunch outside: by the lake, under the weeping willows, in a gazebo.

Inside, there's an unrelated but equally fun perk: Every few months, the senior managers don aprons and serve lunch.

"That's one of the high volume days," said Mary Ann Fullerton, vice president of community and employee support services. "It's great to have your boss fix your sandwich."

[Last modified December 21, 2007, 20:13:37]